Living Up to Their Name: Blackout Rage Gallons (BORGs) Marked by High-Intensity Drinking and Alcohol Consequences in...

The blackout rage gallon (BORG) is an excessive drinking trend popular at some colleges in the United States and propelled by social media. Media reports depict harmful consequences of BORG use, but others view this trend as a strategy to reduce drink contamination, control alcohol intake, and minimize hangovers. This study provides the first detailed assessment of college students' perceptions and use of BORGs, including consequences and motivations for use and nonuse.

Participants (ages 18-25 years) were past-year college students (N = 103) from both public and private U.S. institutions who reported weekly binge drinking and completed a survey assessing BORG use, motivations, and drinking-related outcomes.

Participants were 20.4 years old, 62% female sex at birth, and their mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score was 11.3 ± 5.2. We oversampled college students who reported past-year BORG use (BORG+; n = 63) relative to those who denied BORG use (BORG-; n = 40). BORG+ participants consumed 9-10 standard alcohol drinks during a typical BORG event. Most reported getting buzzed or drunk (98%), nearly one third (29%) experienced a blackout, 17% vomited, and 59% said/did something embarrassing. Regardless of these effects, two thirds endorsed intending to engage in future BORG drinking. BORG-participants cited refraining from BORG use because it was not part of their college culture and was not effective for limiting alcohol intake.

The BORG trend presents another challenge for harm reduction efforts focused on curbing excessive drinking in college students. The high-intensity drinking of BORG use, paired with associated blackouts, vomiting, and behavioral disinhibition, renders this phenomenon as living up to its name.